Measures 66 and 67 will be on your ballot, which will be arriving soon in your mailbox. I serve on the budget committees of two organizations that will be adversely affected if these measures fail, and I would like to explain why many citizens of Lane County will be impacted as well.
One of the organizations on which I serve is the Senior and Disabled Services for Lane County. One of their major programs is the Oregon Project Independence (OPI). If Measures 66 and 67 fail, it is likely that OPI will lose its funding, and this program allows seniors to stay in their homes by providing some help to them with essential services. The entire Lane County delegation to Salem supports this program, as it saves taxpayers money and the alternative would be forcing these people on to the Medicaid program which would be must more costly to the taxpayers.
I also serve as a member of the budget committee for Lane Community College. At a recent board and budget committee meeting, Dr. Mary Spilde, the president of LCC, was asked what impact the failure of Measure 66 and 67 would have on the college’s budget and its ability to meet the needs of the increased demands for vocational and professional programs. President Spilde replied that the college would lose close to $3 million if these two measures failed. The major reason why LCC had a 15-percent increase in enrollment is the high unemployment rate in Lane County. If Measures 66 and 67 fail, many citizens of Lane County will find that the college may be forced to reduce course offerings in such programs.
As you can see from what I havewritten, I think that it is to the benefit of taxpayers to vote YES on Measures 66 and 67. Please join me in doing so.
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